SP abolishes agritech position at CAO
The Sangguniang Panlungsod passed a regulation ordinance abolishing the position of seven agricultural technologists (agritech) at the City Agriculture Office (CAO). The city could save some P1 million in salaries and allowances with the abolition of such position.
In its recent session, the City Council enacted Regulation Ordinance 2008-279 or an ordinance abolishing the position of seven agricultural technologists with salary grade 10 at the Office of the City Agriculture.
The passage of such regulation ordinance was in response to the request of Mayor Jerry Treñas to the city council to abolish such plantilla positions. His request to the council was based on the assessment made by City Agriculturist Jose Gil Parreñas.
Parreñas viewed the positions as unnecessary. The position as agricultural technologists is "no longer essential" to the City Agriculture Office (CAO) since the agricultural areas in the city have decreased.
However, it was learned that the seven positions are already vacant when Parreñas asked for its termination. Some of the agritechs retired and some already died. Thus, no employees from the agriculture office would be displaced with the passage of the ordinance.
Section 76 of Republic Act 7160 provides that "every local government unit shall design and implement its own organizational structure and staffing pattern by taking into consideration its services requirement and financial capability subject to the minimum standards and guidelines prescribed by the Civil Service Commission."
The city agriculturist said Iloilo City is a highly urbanized city and there are only few hectares identified as agricultural areas. The services of an agricultural technologist is deemed immaterial with the current state of the city.
The decrease in the agricultural areas in the city could be attributed to the increasing subdivisions here especially in Jaro and Mandurriao districts. The agricultural areas were once planted with rice and vegetables.
With the abolition of the seven positions, the city is expected to save some P1 million in its annual budget. An employee with a salary grade 10 receives some P9,000 excluding allowances.
The appropriation set for the salaries of the seven employees may be used to fund other priority projects and programs of the city government aside from its number of casual and job hire workers.